Schumacher was at the peak of his powers iꦿn 2001, taking his fourth F1 w♑orld drivers’ title - his second with Ferrari.

A 16-year-old Lewis Hamilton was currently racing in karting during this time, racing alongside childhood fri🐻end and🐽 future F1 teammate, .

The three drivers - all of whom would write their names in the F1 history books as world cham♐pions - took to the German karting track of Kerpen in the World Championship Karting ꧟final.

Both Hamilton and Rosberg were set 📖to make the move up the junior ladder to cars for the following year, so it was a last chance opportunity to impress, particularly as Schumacher was also competing.

Schumacher topped the practice sessions but could only𒁃 manage 22nd in qualifying, losing out in the wet conditions.

The German was put in the same race as Hamilton in the afternoon, with the British driver finishing second behind Vitantonio Luizzi - who🎃 would also make it into F1 in the following years.

Schumacher recovered from 22nd 𒁏to finish eight, 9.5s behind the Italian.

Fast forward to the second heat, Schumacher qualified 16th, while Hamilton only managed 26﷽th.

The Ferrari driver then showed his class in the finals, m🧔oving up to third from 16th on the grid, but his hard work was undone by an uncharacteristic mistake, spinning on lap 15 which dropped him down the order.

Hamilton fared better, finishing seventh𝓀 after starting down in 26th.

The action didn’t stop there as during the final race, Schumacher, Rosberg and Hamilton all enjoyed strong finis𒁏hes.

Schumacher ran fourth ahead of Rosberg in sixt🍨h, and Ha𓂃milton in ninth.

The trio benefitted from an i⛦ncident between the two leaders, allowing Schumacher to be promoted to sꦦecond - once Maro Ardigo was disqualified.

Schumacܫher was ultimately classified second, with Ros💯berg third and Hamilton seventh.

After the event had come to a close, Hamilton admitted he was𝕴 disappointed not to have battled Schumacher.

• Three times Michael Schumache📖r and Lewis Hamilton went head-to-head

“I never really had a chance to🌼 get near Schumacher, which was a shame because I’d have like to have beaten him around a few corners,” Hamilton said🌳. 

“I could see h𝓡im in the distanceඣ in the second race, but to be fair it didn’t really make much of a difference to me.”

While the pair didn’t have too mওany encounters on track, Hamilton’s p🅷erformances that day did catch the attention of Schumacher.

“He’s a quality driver, very strong and only 16,” Schumacher explaiꦛned. “If he keeps this up I’m sure he will reach F1. It’s something special to see a kid of his age out on the circuit. He’s clearly got the right racing mentality.”